Veterinary practices across the UK are being urged to display a campaign poster, supported by VN Times, in an effort to reinforce the message that dogs must not be left alone in cars during hot weather.

Veterinary practices across the UK are being urged to display a campaign poster, supported by VN Times, in an effort to reinforce the message that dogs must not be left alone in cars during hot weather.

The Don’t Cook Your Dog campaign aims to remind owners that dogs can die in minutes when left to swelter in cars during summer, even with the windows down.

The campaign was started by Dogs Today editor Beverley Cuddy following the shocking death of two Metropolitan Police dogs left in a baking hot car in June this year.

Ms Cuddy joined forces with MissyRedBoots designer Judith Broug to create a hard-hitting waiting room poster, supported by VN Times. A poster and car sticker will be delivered shortly to a VN in each UK practice.

Ms Cuddy said: “It really is astonishing how quickly this new campaign has gone from being the germ of a good idea to a campaign that could really save lives.

“It is uniting the doggie world and when we all pull in the same direction it is really quite awe-inspiring!”

The campaign has also gained support from the British Veterinary Association (BVA), Tesco, the Kennel Club, Dogs Trust, The National Animal Welfare Trust, RSPCA, Mutley and Mog – even Stephen Fry has been caught tweeting about it.

BVA president Harvey Locke said: “It’s a simple but tragic fact that dogs die in hot cars and we need to get this message out to every single dog owner.”

Now vetsonline stable-mate VN Times is distributing a campaign poster that will be mailed to veterinary practices across the country over the coming days. The double-sided poster features advice on preventing pets from overheating and can be folded to create an information leaflets for clients.

VN Times editor Emma Dahm said: “We are delighted to be supporting such an important campaign. It is hard to believe that, despite repeated warnings, 6,000 incidents involving dogs in hot cars are reported to the RSPCA each year.

“We hope that vet nurses in veterinary practices across the country will pick up the baton and help to reinforce the message to their clients that dogs must never be left alone in cars during hot weather.”

Keep your eyes peeled for the “Don’t Cook Your Dog” literature and feature it in your waiting room. Copies of the campaign poster can also be downloaded here and will be in a forthcoming edition of Veterinary Record.